< dark sky directory

KS dark sky places

List of darkest parks and places in Kansas for stargazing, astrophotography, astrotourism, star parties, and astronomy club events. Often these are national and state parks and forests that are either remote or "protected" against light pollution.

National and state parks often let you stay overnight under the stars, hence their motto - "Half the park is after dark".

Bortle scale for sites is given where known. Also ask your local astronomy club for guidance as they will know the darkest places.

DARK PARK BORTLE
Cedar Bluff State Park 2
Clark State Lakeshore
Cross Timbers State Park 2
Fall River State Park 2
Glacial Hills Scenic Byway
Goodman State Lake
Kanopolis State Park 2
Lake Scott State Park 2
Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park 2
Lovewell State Park 2
Meade State Park 2
Mushroom Rock State Park 2
Prairie Dog State Park
Sheridan Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie National Park
Webster State Park 2
Wilson State Park 2


Light pollution map w/ Bortle

On the left is a 2023 satellite image of KS showing light pollution from the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center. On the right is a 2015 light pollution map showing sky brightness at the zenith from World Atlas data. Colors correspond approximately to the Bortle scale. Use as a guide to find the darkest sky locations near you.

KS night sky light pollution map